Apparatus for skinning animals



June 17, 1930. L. E. THoMAs 'APPARATUS FOR SKINNING ANIMALS Filed June 10. 1929 IN V EN TOR.

A TT ORNEYS.

y Patented June `17, 1930 i hLOGAN E. THOMAS, ECHOCTAW, OKLAHOMA' APARATUS FORsKINNINdAfiIMAL Application iied ie 'iO, 1923, se ial No. 369338; l

and' thebhdjn 'and the use of m y device c auses l f Myginvention relates to' improvement "in v i the hide "to beinflatedjand separatedfrom l j t'he process in'the'use of air in skinning 'am- I ing drawing, *zothereto appended; it being understood that 3 ;various` changes" in 'the form, proportion',

` size,and'n1ihor details of construction, withc device illustrated nals ;and an apparatus 'for' the application h ofair The object" of myinvention isto pro-v v sducea process :iiid-'devicefor its applieation removing the hides or skins of animals; that 4 Will remove such hides W thout tearng or cuttiugthem; that will remove such hides 10 Without cutting 'or 'mari-ing the flesh of the h .animal ,underneath 'such hides; that will'be J new, novel, and of `utility that Will 'be` c`heap, be easily applied; that will be speedier.

' 15 'With these and other objects in VieW, the

g inventioii consists in" the process;` Construch y tion and novel combination 'of parts hereinafterdescribed; illustrated in the accompanyand' pointed out in the claims in the scope of the claims may be resorted to ithout departng from the spirit or sacrific- 725 in any of the advantages of the' invention,

attain 'these objects as isslioWn in one embodiment thereof by the mechanism and in the accompanyingfdrawing,inwhichf r elevational sectional View ;of the device'; Fig; 2 is a perspective 'View of kni'fe and inci'sion instrument; Fig; B'is a perspective View of the deVce as applie'dto the animal connected to'an air' oompress'or.

parts in` all the figures.

* i Like characters' ofreferene designate like 'The ordinary-and` usual manner` of 'skin-f "ning animals is bythe use of a knife stripping the hide little by little from the carcass of the 9 animal; This results at best` in theispending i ofmuch time' inthe'performing of this`,*and v. results also in 'tlieflesh being out in various ;plaoes,'and in the hideyr skin, being cut and I i injured so far as' the making'ofleathertherei 5; from is concerned "Sofar as the knowledge k'of the inventoris concerned, noinethod of using air as'is herein containe'd for assisting i in thje removal o-fihides of animals has ever "beeii usedor known. The process of apply I 5 'ing oompressed air; or air, between the hide i 'line' With r 'Oieembodi eIitffiy:intention andfthe mannerof applying the'same,` is asfollows z i I provide fiat" blade -1' having; two sharp edges 2, 3, 'with asharppoint k t This is`built upon a roundne'ck portion jzha'ving an opening 6 therethrough extendihg' its entire', length near its hlt 7,*'1 provide ae beyel 1 shaped portion 8 'of a soft ;pliableflmatefiah h I e such as rubber, with a: 'shoulder 9 into this rubber hilt or abiittingfthe same; I provide a ferrule of 'metal 10 surrounding said-p r tion fa'stened tosaidneck portionby a hold ing member 11; "Baekofsaid ferrule I pro v Vide' abarrel 12 *having a front, shoulder 136 Said barrel forms `a seat for -a' lever'theref i above piyoted to 'a `lug 15 integral with said f barrel'12 andleve'r 14, alsoform ahandlje-'18 i for the using. 'of said devioe ;Toward the front portion of Saidfbarrel-lQ andnear the 'front portion of) the leve 14, VI provide: `'a

-ValVe chest 19.' The preferred' form there'of is jdiagonally-aoross sai'd'barrelbutthis may t barrel ;chest has onfits lower portion a round i tending'therefrominto said bai reland said j i member extends below saidhandle ISg its in ner lower portion being threaded 21 t ofirethreads being shown: at 23 having twogrooves' i ceivea similarly threadedplug seat 22,' ,said i i screw .the same ;fit's innersurfaee 25 forming p'ortio'n's beginning ;at-27; having hevele d surfaes 29,2 0, 'forming a'valve seat30 aperture 'between' its tpmostusurfaoes. j' v e "Wardly'extending` ylindricalf portion 31 i Onthe upperside ofsaid barrel 12'is in said c'ylindrical portion 20 below' saidbarrel. This'i prfeiably made integral w ith said barrel; Ajbore 32fr'm its t opis length of the bore, said threaded portion 33 seating a similarly threaded plug head 34.

i Said plug head has a central perforation 35 therethrough adapted to hold and act as a hearing for a plunger rod, or button 36.' In its top said plug head 34 has two groove's 37 with which more easily to be tightened and loosened. V g

Below said plug head is a valve chamber 38 formed by said bore 32 its side valve faces 39, 40, being equal in depth, the surface at their bottoms torming a valve head-seat 41. A head 42 is seated in valve chamber 38. Said valve head is integral with valve stem 43, 'and said valve stern has 'on' its lower end avalve head 44; The outer surface of 'the lower handle 18 is threaded 45. and adapted tobe attached toan air hose 46 leading to a compressed air tank 47 having a cut-off 48, and preferably a gauge 49.

In operation after the 'animal has been killed and its carcass'Ois either lying down or is hung up, the hand of the operator grasps the handle 18 between the air line and the valve chest 19. With the other hand the loose skin of the animalis liftedi and the' point 4 of the blade is thrust through the skin of .the animal, between the skin and the flesh, preferably at some :place where the skin is comparatively loose, andthe blade and-neck 5 is insertedat least suffciently to cover opening 6, and preferably to the ;point where beveled portion'S will be under the skin and shoulder 9 pres ses against the outside' surface of the skin. It is better if the operator lifts up on the instrument slightly after making the' first part of the incision.

As soon as the instrument is inserted as above described the operator pressesdownwardly on lever 14; this causes plunger rod 36 to press. on valve head 42and descend in the valve chamber 38 lowering valve stem 43 With valve 44 onits lower end. Said valve 44 isreleased 'from itsva'lve seat 30 tightening i valve spring 26 and opening the cavity in the barrel 12 permitting the air from compressed air tank 47 to escape and flow-through hole oraperture 6 andbe introduced between the skin and flesh of the animal. The hide being tough permits the air to be introduced between'the skin and flesh in such quantity as to make the animal 'have aninflated appearance and to permanently loosen the hide from the flesh ;the lever '14 is then released. The' pressure being taken'therefrom spring valve 26 pushes 44 valve stem 43 and valve head 42 g into theirnormalpositions, shutting off the passage of the compressed air from the air tank; the instrument can thenbe With-drawn and the skin of the animal slit under the neck and around the hoofs, head and horns, cutng samewth an ordinary skinning knife `and the pelt can be easily removed from the carcass ;or ifthe animal is hanging, the hide Will of its oWn weight, when so cut, fall of the body.

It is my desire to protect the process of applying the use of air under the hide of animals for skinning them, as well as to secure a patent on the particular' device as above described. I desire also to cover the application under a saline liquid or other liquid, When desired, between the hide of the animal and the body and also When the same is used in connection With compressed air.

From the description and the accompanying one page drawing, and the specification, theadvantages of Construction, application and manufacture will be apparent to those skilledinthe art to which my invention 'pertains. -I have enteredintoa detailecl descrip tion of the Construction and relative arrangement of the parts embracecl in the present and preferred embodiment of my invention in or- 'embodimentin forms other than that which is illustrated in :the acconpanying drawings and described herein, and applicable for uses and purposes other than as detailed, and I thereforeconsider as my oWn all such modifications and adaptations and other uses of the form of the device other than as herein described as fairly fall-within the scope of my invention. i

Having thus described my invention What is claimed anddesired to be securedvby Letters Patent, is:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a valve, a long longitudinal body member having an air chamber therein and housing said valve, and having 'ahandle member thereon adapted to open and close said valve,-a second body member crossing said first body member and integral there- With, and seating and housing said' valve, a hollow necked metallic member having a tWo-edged pointed cutting blade at its front end being adaptedto cut 'anincision in the skin, and having a :ferrule at its other end being adapted to fitthefront end of said first 'body member; a beveled rubber shoulder in- ,i An apparatus,s described, for remov ing 'hides from animal. carcasses, embodying *a I cutting member forcutting incisions through the hide, having an integral hollow stern portion for introducing airbetween the hide and flesh, a beveled surfaced soft cylindrical collar surrounding said stern adjacent 3.' An apparatus, asjdescrbed, for removing hides from animal carcasses, embodying {L` cutting member forc cuttin'g incisions through the hide, having an' integral hollow I stem porton for ntroducng air between the l ride-and flesh, abeveledfsurfaced soft cyv li'ndrical collar surrounding said stern' adjacent its hlt for sealing the air within the hide around said incision, a barrel for connecting said stern at one end and adapted to v ,connect a receptacle :tor compressed air at the other end, said barrelhaving a valve y artally 'h oused therein for controlling the =flow of air from said receptacie to said stern,

handleleverpivotally attached to said bari rel for controlling said alve. U An apparatus, as described, for removr 'ing hidesffrom ariimalctrcasSes, errbodying a cutting member for cutting incisions through the'hide, having an integral hollow sterripori tionforintroducing air' between the :hide and flesh, a beveled' surfaced soft cylindricrl collar surrounding said stern adjacen'tits hilt'for v sealing the air wthin' the hide around said incifsion', av barrel for connectng SLld stern at one end and adptedto' connect a recepi i tacle for compressed air at the' other end, said r burrel having a valve partially housed therereceptacle to said stern, said valve controlled by a handle lever `pivot rlly mounted on said VLOGAN ET OM S v in for controllir'gthe flow of air? from said barrel. 

